The grays, blues, and browns of the coast can seem endless in the cooler months, no longer competing with a colorful array of summer visitors. The beach feels more intense, the salt air stronger, the sound of the waves clearer. In Holden Beach, it’s the best time to search for a certain kind of treasure among the riches that the ocean deposits daily onto the sand: sea biscuits.
photograph by Evan Brearey
These fossilized shells look like puffy sand dollars, with the curve and heft of a smooth stone that would fit in a child’s palm — and they’re drawing shell enthusiasts from near and far. According to UNC Wilmington geology and environmental science lecturer Roger Shew, sea biscuits are “relics of the past life that inhabited our area millions of years ago.” An array of shells often washes ashore after powerful storms churn the ocean floor. But sea biscuits are likely finding their way to Holden Beach after a dredging project several years ago disturbed a sedimentary deposit, loosening fossils into currents.
Sea biscuits remain plentiful in Holden Beach, and if you walk the shoreline — especially near the pier — in the hours around low tide, you’ll likely find one. As the tide recedes, the water might reveal a flower-shaped etching, an image of the ocean’s past frozen in time.
Mark our words: Whether they nod to North Carolina or were penned by its residents, these notable, quotable passages remind us of the power of speech inspired by our state.
When one stream flows into another, the two chart a new course for the future — together.
When the weather outside is frightful, one chef serves loved ones dishes so delightful.
A historic Rose Bowl pitted Duke University against Oregon State in Durham. Then, in the dark days of World War II, those same football players — and a legendary coach — joined forces to fight for freedom.
